Scoping McKinney Falls State Park

While it's ironic that we're doing this during the 100-degree start of a Texas summer, we're scoping out camping places near Austin. The idea: rent a trailer for one or two nights and "test" camping with Isaac the Parrot in tow and see how we do. I grew spent most summers in the trailer and many weekends in a tent whilst a Boy Scout. As my older siblings grew older, I helped out more with things like doing the sway bars, leveling it out, etc.

On Saturday afternoon, we checked out a couple places just to get acquainted with the size of trailer we could handle with our car. That was really exciting; like playing house and talking about the food, the card games, the setting up, the relaxing, and the calmness of it all.

Today, a bright sunny day, we stopped by a friends for facials and then took off on a drive. We focused on McKinney Falls State Park, which is still in city limits but feels like an hour away. The campgrounds had full hook-ups and were spacious and full of trees. Because of the river and vegetation, it was a full 7 degrees cooler in the car (93 F) compared to the city (100 F).

Next, we headed toward Bastrop State Park to check it out, but since we hadn't eaten much all day, we stopped by the Bastrop Brewhouse for a bite to eat and a beer. I must admit, we were a funny sight with both iPads out on the table (connected to the free WiFi) checking out other camp spots in the vicinity. I made us bail on going to the State Park since it looked like they closed early and I was getting tired and could feel the nervous energy of a busy week ahead surging around me. That's ok; another excuse to head that way in the coming weeks!

--Tschüß